I've got a '72 BBC 4-spd that I'm getting back into. (Been sitting 4 years after a near full restoration, minus paint and chrome work.)

I want to get the Air Conditioning working. I've got all the original parts, but the AC compressor leaks, and the AC lines/hose are cracked.

Back in '99 or '00 when I was restoring the car, I went to buy a new AC line and GM had JUST discontinued it. Do any of the venders offer these hoses/lines?

Can anyone recomend a place to get the compressor rebuilt?

 

You can get a rebuilt A6 from any autoparts store, but you may have to go through a few before you get a good one. I guess I got lucky. My second one was a winner (worked perfectly for 3 years now). You can also get a brand new A6 from GM.

As for hoses I took mine to an AC shop and they installed new hoses on the old hardware. Works fine and about $200 for all hoses.

 

AMC in Texas or Classic Auto Air in Florida advertises rebuilding of your original unit for about the same price as purchasing a rebuilt unit.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I'll have to contact that company. I'd rather the AC unit look good and original with the prominent placement it has in the engine compartment. It is the only ugly part as of now.

 

ZO SIC,

I purchased my 72 about 2 months ago and drove it back from San Diego. On the way back to NorCal the A/C compressor clutch siezed up. Then about a mile down the road further the A/C hose that is next to the exhaust manifold let loose and I lost the almost 4lbs. of R-12.

I bought the car from forum member CorvGreg and he had just had the A/C serviced, so it was kind of a bummer to say the least.

I purchased a re-manufactured A-6 unit with the clutch installed for $80.00 +/- from Autozone in Folsom, CA. (Kragen wanted over $200.00) Autozone wanted $79.00 for the clutch alone, so buying the complete compressor unit was the way to go.

I installed it and took it to Artic Air A/C in Orangevale. He removed the original A/C comp manifold with the in-line muffler and put on two 90 degree adjustable manifolds with new hoses. This set up gets the hose away from the exhaust manifold. He also evacuated the system and added R-12 (He charges $50.00/lb. instead of other shops at $90.00/lb for R-12). His work parts and labor ended up costing me around $400.00. I know that is a lot of money, but it's tough finding a good A/C shop. The A/C runs nice and cold and I don't have to worry about melting the hose again. It sounds like you want to go the original route, but its another option for you.

This guy is close by to you. It should take you about 45 min. to get to his shop. That is if you beat the traffic.

Good Luck

Tim

 

Thanks Brass Pass... Good info.

Yep, Folsom is about 45 minutes from my house... err, the shop in Orangevale is probably only 30 minutes with minor traffic. I've gotten to know the surface streets so I can stay off of I-80 most of every day.

Brass Pass huh? What department do you work for? I'm applying with Roseville PD this July.

Is there a Corvette group/club in the area that has regular meetings?

 

Your in luck. There is also Hal's auto air in Sac that can re-hose your manifold with the latest barrier hoses, you get to keep the muffler and it looks stock. They did mine. If your compressor is original, DON'T TRADE IT IN! Even if you buy a replacement, pay the core charge. You may have to hunt around a bit to find someone closer to you to fix the original, and if that fails, e-mail me and I'll do it for you. I have all the tools to replace the front seal and NAPA carries the kit. I'm in Davis, just west of Sacramento.

P.S. I converted mine to R134a

Hans


[Modified by Wrencher, 10:57 AM 5/19/2004]

 

I had three rebuilt A6s. All of them leaked! :banghead:

 

Thanks for the great info Wrencher. I'd never think about trading in this AC unit.

And I would like to keep R-12 in the car, but I do worry about loosing it all if a seal goes out. I guess that is just the chance I have to take.

So, since this AC hasn't worked in years, but all the parts are there, what parts should I change out?

Rebuild compressor
Restore hoses
New Evap canister
New POA valve?
New???

 

If your system has been inoperable for a long time you can assume your POA valve is OOC. If originality is not a concern, buy a POA eliminator kit. POA's are hard to find and very expensive when you do. If you go with a POA, ensure that you get a receiver with a sight glass. POA systems had no low pressure protection and the sight glass was the only indicator (other than reduced cooling) of low freon. Also if you have the time flush the evaporator and condenser. This can be done in place (PIA) to ensure the debris that has collected in the low points of the system won't damage your new POA and expansion valves.

 

POA is OOC? What is OOC? And the system hasn't worked or had freon in it in at least 8-10 years, but all the hoses and parts have been on the car and hooked up. So no foriegn debris should have gotten in the system.

How different does the factory POA and aftermarket ones look?

I'm not going for NCRS, but I want the engine bay to look pretty stock/factory. However I am removing the smog pump and installing Cast Iron Grey coated Hooker Supercomps.

Thanks for all your help, everyone.

 

OOC means Out of Commission. POA's are notorious for sticking, and they are not rebuildable. No one has made them for many years, so the uninstalled ones are top dollar. I would not trust a used one, because the POA automatically addusts the low pressure side, including changes in altitude. If it has not been used in years, the seals and spring/poppet seal themselves together resulting in full bypass through the oil drain line in the side of the POA. If your POA is siezed, the oil drain line will ice over bypassing freon around the evaporator causing no cooling.
Seals degrade in the compressor, as well as the inner lining of the hoses, causing debris. A screen was installed in the expansion valve inlet to catch this matter. So an unopened system will still have debris.
Aftermarket POA's will have a white plastic sleeve on the lower valve body (normally). Factory will have "Frigidaire" embossed on the valve body.
The POA eliminators replace the POA with an orifice pipe and a low pressure switch that will turn your system into a modern cycling system. They run about $100. Since NCRS is not your goal I highly recommend getting one. If in the future you decide to return it to stock, no modifications are made with the eliminator other than splicing the wir eto the AC clutch.
Sorry for the long post.

 

Aftermarket POA valves are N/A for about a year now. You might find old stock, but they are quite different from original. I have a new one that I found and didn't use. I have found the original POA valves hold up well and it's worth trying since the system is closed. I'd bet there is no R-12 left in it, but you never know.

Hoses, dryer, expansion valve, o-rings and a new seal in the compressor should do it for parts. I got'em all at NAPA with the exception of the hoses which I had done at Hal's. I don't recommend a flush if the system has been closed. I typically blow out the system with dry, filtered air to get the residual oil out and the add ester100 that is compatible with the old oil. I don't do R-12 anymore, but it would cool marginally better in my experience.

The pressure cycling system conversions work well also, but I don't like the compressor kicking on and off all the time.

Hans

 

Missleman and Wrencher, thanks for all the helpfull info.

Keep the information coming.

Another question. My '72 BBC has an air pump that I will be removing and will also be installing some Hooker SuperComps (#2123) with Jet Hot Cast Iron Grey finish. Is there a correct belt number or size to run just the AC off the water pump, instead of the AC and smog pump? And is there an adjustment on the AC brackets to adjust the belt?

 

GM Restoration parts catalog shows AC belt without AIR for your year is part # 3999272. So yes you can run the AC without an AIR pump.
The adjustment for the AC compressor is from the forward AC support bracket (GM part # 3887167). Running headers will require you to use spacers or modify the rear bracket, since the front bracket bolts to the cylinder head.
Hope this helps.

 

If you are serious abought A/C then pull all that crap out and install a new aftermarket unit. Much cheaper and it will outlast the vette.

 

I sent you an IM ( Instant Message )

 

While I am serious about AC, I want it to at least look stock/factory under the hood. I don't know why I would remove all the factory stuff to put in aftermarket pieces...